The Canadians didn't know they had qualified when they came off the ice after a tense win over the U.S. team, but they soon were celebrating.

Even if the Canadians lose their last game — to China in the evening session — the worst they could finish is tied at 6-3 with Norway and Britain. They would qualify on a superior head-to-head record, the Canadian Curling Association confirmed.

Warm Weather at 2014 Winter Games

"We played all right, definitely not our best, but it's still good to get the win knowing that we didn't put our best performance together," Canada skip Brad Jacobs said.

The game came down to the final shot, delivered by U.S. skip John Shuster. His draw settled around the button next to a Canadian stone, which was closer by barely half an inch.